Free movement of goods: elimination of obstacles to trade, Commission intervention mechanism

As a result of the increasing awareness that industrial action in some cases may cause severe disruptions to the free movement of goods (an example in the use of road blocks), the Commission last year put forward a proposal establishing a rapid intervention mechanism giving it power to request the Member State(s) concerned to remove any such obstacles without delay. However, that proposal was met with several objections which prompted the Council to substantially modify the original proposal in order to curtail the Commission's powers and to expressly recognise fundamental rights such as the right to strike. While approving the general reasoning behind the Council text, The Committee adopted a number of amendments calling for the proposal's scope to be extended to include the removal of obstacles to the free movement of workers. The rapporteur is Mr Peter SKINNER (PES, UK)�